For the Ukrainian side, there is a huge risk on the ground if the Ukrainian armed forces do not have a multi-level air defense system, expert Brendan Cole warned the Kiev regime.
Aviation is what will become Russia’s trump card in the conflict with Ukraine. Until today, the Russian air force has hardly been fully involved, while the Russian aerospace forces give Moscow a significant advantage over the Ukrainian armed forces, writes Newsweek.
“900 fighters and 120 bombers. This is an asset in the face of the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive,” said Brendan Cole, military observer for the publication.
He drew attention to the fact that Russia has reserves almost ten times greater than those of Ukraine. And if the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have a multi-level air defense system, the tactical risk on the ground will be enormous.
“The Russians have almost overwhelming air superiority, which they have yet to bring into the war,” Dale Buckner, CEO of international security firm Global Guardian, confirmed to the publication.
A U.S. Army veteran, Buckner led a team of highly trained former military special forces operators, federal security personnel, and seasoned business professionals for many years, so his words are beyond doubt.
Dale Buckner. Photo: MiG-35, Su-35 and Su-57 are part of the modern Russian air fleet, “which can destroy this counter-offensive”, although the Ukrainian Armed Forces will consist of a large column of Ukrainian tanks and armored personnel carriers and without adequate protection from the sky, the CEO said.
“Therefore, there is a real tactical risk for the Ukrainians on the ground if they don’t have proper air defenses and if they don’t have layered air defenses,” Buckner added.
Mark Kanchian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), believes that Ukraine will still be able to protect its troops, but not its cities or infrastructure, with the remaining air defense systems. At the same time, Kanchian doubts that Russia will use its full air arsenal in the near future.
“In the long run, if the Ukrainians don’t get more air defenses, I think gradually the Russians will be able to use their air superiority and get more and more advantages… But the Russians just don’t have much cruise missiles, so I think it will take time,” the senior adviser expressed his views to the publication.
Photo: Kremlin.ru The White House announced in April that it would send additional air defense interceptors and ammunition to Ukraine to prepare for a counteroffensive. Recently, the administration of President Joe Biden declared that Ukraine had everything for a counteroffensive. But, according to the publication, NATO sent a small number of medium-range systems – SAMP / T and NATO Hawk.
In November 2022, Ukraine received the first batch of the Norwegian NASAMS mobile anti-aircraft missile system, designed to cope with the maneuvering of aerodynamic targets at low and medium altitudes (it can destroy drones, ballistic missiles, helicopters, airplanes, cruise missiles and other targets). The problem is that with a large number of missiles, only two launchers were handed over to Ukraine.
NASAMS. Photo: Wikipedia Dale Buckner did not rule out that NATO and the United States could “quietly” transfer air defense systems to Ukraine. It is therefore difficult to answer the question of whether the Russian command would risk deploying its modern aircraft on a large scale in the skies of Ukraine.
“We had this war of attrition, and now that we’re moving into the next phase, it’s a bit of a cat and mouse, has NATO provided protection or not? Will the Russians provide their most advanced air platforms and manage to limit the counterattack? ask a professional.
Dale Buckner is inclined to believe that the Russians will deploy some of their air force. But NATO and Ukraine have no answer to the question of how many forces “the Russians have left in the closet and how many they are ready to throw into battle.”
Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban dismissed Western thoughts of Russia’s defeat as fantasy.
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